A Leopard Cries in Darkness
by Mdme Butterfly
Summary: Mulder receives strange reports of meteorological disturbances in Africa, supposedly as a result of the discovery of a mysterious idol. They do not realise that beneath the original cause for their visit run much darker undercurrents.
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: Hello all. Since I live in South Africa, I thought it might be nice to set a fic on my own continent... Please RR. 

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the X-Files characters or any of the X-Files plot, this is merely an insane teenager's idea for a story.**

**Further Info: All of the following is fictitious and any similarities between it and real people or ideas were purely unintentional. **

Chapter One 

It has been said that the truth is often caught up in a lie and, therefore, to reveal the truth, one must first expose the lie. The truth is like a frightened child, which hides from those who seek it, hiding only behind the greatest lies, the lies that can easily be mistaken for truths. The lies we hope are truths. We con ourselves into believing these lies because we have not the strength to continue searching for the truth. Can it, therefore, be deduced that the truths we cling to so violently are merely lies designed to skew our vision and distort our view of the real truth which lies behind them? Can the ultimate truth, the world's truth, be a lie that was designed in a human mind to hide the end we are truly destined for?

It was late afternoon and Scully sat at Mulder's desk looking out of the tiny window at the world outside. The steady sheet of snow fell and it had lulled her into a dream like state. A sad dream played in her mind, filled with memories of Christmas, of Melissa, of her father and of the life she had led before Mulder. The hopes she had held, that she could make a difference, instead, she was stuck. Her job was to destroy him, to make him a raving lunatic, to make his theories ridiculous. She did her job well according to the outside world. As far as they were concerned, Fox Mulder was all that he was meant to be. Although she could never deny what she had seen, she could never reveal that she now strongly doubted her own words. She could never admit to them that Mulder was, in fact, quite sane and that his theories, however implausible, held some truth. They would rein her in, just has she had tried to do to him. They would turn her into the same raving lunatic that she was to create out of Mulder. She was stuck between her loyalty to public opinion and her loyalty to this mysterious stranger she had, somehow, come to understand. Life had become complicated, more complicated than she could ever have dreamed of. She had learned to be wary of the people she once trusted wholeheartedly and knew the darkness that was waiting for her in every situation. Some call it paranoia; she knew it as a caution that was necessary in her life on the X-Files. She had become a personal guard of the palace of her heart and mind, never trusting fully and being forever suspicious of things that came to easily. A torture to most, but something she had become accustomed to. Her whole world was about the truth and she worried at the lies the people she had trusted, the people who were supposedly the protectors of the nation, were obviously feeding her. She felt vulnerable and unsure. She knew only one thing, one thing that she could undoubtedly trust, one thing that had never lied, science. It was her weapon against these fiends of untruth and she would use it, she had to, she had to protect herself and her beliefs.

Mulder walked into the office with a smile on his face. He noticed Scully sitting at his desk, staring into space, obviously unaware of his entry. He cleared his throat purposefully and she looked up at him. He held a case file in one hand and used the other to secure his coat neatly over his shoulder. His sleeves were rolled up haphazardly to his elbows. This was an image Scully had come to know in their years together, one of the many expressions she could interpret. It meant only one thing, he'd found a case and he was about to share it with her with an enthusiasm that was unnatural.

"What is it this time?" she inquired, sounding unusually enthusiastic herself. She quickly dashed Mulder's hopes of her being interested with a predictable dose of sarcasm, "Did someone see Santa Claus? No, it was a UFO, oddly sleigh-shaped with reindeer attached!" she gasped to add effect, "Don't tell me the Grinch stole Christmas!"

"Ha ha, Scully," Mulder said not allowing her sarcasm to put him off. She smiled, enjoying her playful teasing, "Actually it's got nothing to do with Christmas, except for the snow..." he put the file gently on the desk, "Central Africa, the people are starving to death and now they're freezing too. Hey, at least they'll have a White Christmas..."

"Snow?" Scully paused, looking doubtful, "In Central Africa? They rarely reach less than 30 degrees, other than on the mountain peaks... It doesn't snow in Central Africa."

"It does now..." said Mulder. Scully looked at him for a moment, she sighed, shook her head and asked,

"What do you think the reason is?"

"Well, meteorologists will tell you that it's a result of global warming or a new version of El Nino," he replied.

"You don't believe that?" Scully ventured further.

"Not for a second," he walked over to the projector and put up a photo of a grotesque wooden idol, "Thekishi, mistress of the skies. This girl wasn't popular with the men in her tribe, for obvious reasons... So, she left and began a solitary life in the mountains."

"And this has what relevance?" Scully stopped him.

"I'm getting to it," he sounded impatient, "One day, a man came walking by her cave where he was attacked by a leopard. Thekishi killed the animal, took the man in and nursed him back to health. What she didn't know was that the man was the son of Jungani, the god who controlled the skies. According to African folklore, Jungani, grateful for the favour she had bestowed on his son, gave Thekishi control of the weather to aid in growing her crops."

"If she helped the man, a stranger, why would she bring down such strife on her own people?" Scully interrupted him. He didn't answer, merely putting his hand up to show her it was coming.

"The god in charge of the animals, Lekanzi, was angry that Thekishi had killed the leopard, the sacred creature of her tribe. So, as punishment, she turned Thekishi into wood. She then used the power in the new idol to exact her revenge on the hunters and poachers in the land by means of bush fires and storms. As long as the idol remained in Thekishi's cave, Lekanzi had control of its powers," he stopped.

"What happens if it's removed?" asked Scully, sure he was going to tell her anyway.

"If the idol is removed, the person who removes it gains the power of Thekishi," he seemed chuffed with himself. Scully thought for a while and then spoke again,

"If the idol was still in its cave, you wouldn't have that photograph," she paused, "You think the person who removed it is causing the weather?"

Mulder nodded, "Well, you must have some idea who you think it was."

Mulder removed the photograph and replaced it with a newspaper article. A picture of a young archeologist, standing with the idol, caught Scully's eye, "that's Dr. Anna Ramone," she said, surprised.

"You know her?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, we went to high school together," Scully said, "I lost contact with her, but I read somewhere that she'd become an archeologist, we were good friends."

"Well then, we won't waste time with her life story," Mulder began again, "She discovered the idol last week, just North of Kilimanjaro, on the Kenyan side of the border. That happened just a short time before the weather fluctuations began to occur."

"You think it was Anna?" Scully was unsure.

"We had a Rain King Scully, why not a Snow Queen?" Mulder said.

"Thank you Hans Christian Anderson," Scully said. Noticing that Mulder wasn't catching her joke, she started again, "I just don't think Anna would do something like that."

"There's more," Mulder said, "To protect the idol and keep it n her possession, Lekanzi created a group of soldiers. Half man, half beast. The person, or persons, who removed the idol, would have to face these 'Leopardmen' at the cave or later. This deterred anyone from entering. Dr. Ramone didn't believe the myth and entered anyway. Scully, it's possible she doesn't know she's causing the weather."

"Or, the meteorologists are right and the idol doesn't have anything to do with the weather..." replied Scully.

"Five members of the excavation team have been killed since the removal of the idol in, and I quote," he said grabbing the file from her, "'what seems to be an animal attack', sounds to me like Lekanzi's 'Leopardmen' have been busy."

"Perhaps it was an animal attack, they are in the middle of Africa..." Scully argued, grabbing the file back.

"That's an idea that's just too coincidental for me," Mulder said.

"Mulder..." she didn't get any further before he gasped with frustration and interrupted her,

"Can't you just admit that there is something here!" he spat, leaning over the desk, "Isn't it at least worth an investigation?"

"Mulder, you're reading into this," she stood to meet him, "Why does everything have to be an X-File?"

"It's our job to find out if it is, Scully! This is what we do!"

"Our job is to investigate the paranormal, not to invent it..." she challenged, "We investigate strange happenings."

"And snow in Africa doesn't strike you as a little strange?" Mulder challenged back.

"Mulder, millions of weather fluctuations happen worldwide every year. One freak snow storm can easily be explained away!" she stopped, "Stop looking for what isn't there!"

"Maybe you're not looking hard enough!" he paused, "Contrary to your belief, there is life outside your little cloud of science. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, you don't have all the answers! I'm trying to get through to you Scully!" he stopped again, "It's impossible with your stubborn pride and self-righteous arguing."

Scully stood, flabbergasted at what he had said. A moment passed and she surrendered saying,

"I... I don't know what to say..."

"Funny, I thought you always knew what to say," he said quietly before turning and leaving the room.

Scully stood for a moment, wounded by his words. She fell back into her chair and put her head in her hands. She started to cry, mortified at what he thought of her. She was even more mortified to discover that it was true, that she did behave in the manner that he had described. Although she trusted him completely, she never believed him. She always took a superior stance and always acted like a teacher to her student when, in fact, it was often the other way round. She had so much to learn from him when it came to being an agent and the only lessons she had to offer him in return were in scepticism and disbelief. She felt a failure and realised just how alone she was without him. Nothing frightened her more than being alone and now that he had destroyed her with his accusations she feared the worst.

Anger filled Mulder's every movement. He slammed the office door shut and punched the elevator buttons with frustration. He stood for a moment, contemplating what had just happened, then he slammed his fist against the elevator wall, disgusted at his assault on Scully. He had been angry, but nothing warranted the abuse he had hurled at her. She never deserved the things he said to her, as much as she annoyed him at times and as much as he hated to admit it, she was the voice inside his head and her logic and rationalism had saved them more times than he could count. He decided that he needed to apologise, but he knew if he spoke to her, he would only wound her further. As he wrestled over what to do, his feet took him out to his car. He didn't know what to do, so he drove. No destination was planned, but he drove on nonetheless. He passed people on the street, laden with shopping bags, an everlasting reminder that Christmas was approaching and he would, yet again, be alone. He thought back to the Christmas ghosts and the tempting offer they had made. _"What if?" _he thought. What if he and Scully had fallen for their cunning plans, what if they'd taken those final shots and entered the pact that had been called their destiny, the pact which would have bound them together for eternity. Would he have been able to stand her constant arguing for eternity? Mulder cursed himself for the thought. Other memories of her filled his mind and he began to regret more and more what he had said. His mind told him to go back and face her, but his body wouldn't allow it, so, he drove on.

As darkness settled, he found himself at a bar. A memory struck him, a memory of a time when he had lost her once before. He had ended up in a similar place, depressed, alone and angry with her and himself. He decided not to repeat the episode and returned to his car. He thought of going to see her, sober this time, but he couldn't, he was still angry. He drove a little while longer and then returned home.

The next day dawned bright and Scully felt as dark as ever. She contemplated staying in bed and praying for a quick death, anything that would prevent her going back to work and facing Mulder again. She was still emotional and very much afraid of what he had to say. She crawled slowly out of bed and crept slowly towards the bathroom. Her daily tasks were performed with less effort than she was used to and during her slow beginning to the day, she came up with the perfect solution. She would make a quick stop before going in to work...

Mulder had come in early. He had hoped to see Scully and apologise, but she hadn't arrived. So, he waited. After a while, he took to his old habit of throwing sharpened pencils at the ceiling. This only brought back memories of her vacation and the case they had conducted together, long-distance. He missed her already... He realized his dependency on having her nearby, that the very arguing that drove him insane drove him in another way as well. It drove him to do everything the correct way, never to take shortcuts and to be completely honest, with himself and his superiors. He had thought long and hard about what had happened and he knew what he was going to say.

When Scully finally did arrive, he sat bolt upright in his chair and looked at her. The tension was high and there was an atmosphere so thick he felt it difficult to breathe. They both took a moment and said,

"I'm sorry," at the identical moment. Mulder stood and began his well prepared speech,

"You didn't deserve the things I said to you yesterday and I'm sorry."

"But it was true," she replied with some difficulty.

"What's true is not important, but what's right is. I was wrong to attack you like that," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "I was trying to reason out your theory and I went about it in the wrong way. Ultimately, I agree with you," she put something down on his desk, "Two return tickets to Nairobi, Kenya. One stop in Johannesburg, South Africa."

He picked them up and looked up at her, "You think I'm right?"

"You have one apple, let's not go for the whole barrel..." she replied, breaking the tension.

"Then why the tickets?" he asked.

"Well, I'm inclined to agree with the meteorologists, but I think it is worth the investigation."

**Author's Note: Please RR, I want to know what you think. If you think it sucks, flame away... Next Chapter soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello again, here is that next chapter I promised. If you think I should quit while I'm ahead and just stick to reading ficsâ go ahead and tell me so. Try to be nice. **

**Chapter Two**

Scully loathed planes. The thought of the flight ahead made her feel ill. She tried to control her emotion and focus on the case ahead. She failed dismally at the task. It was like trying to tell herself not to think of pink elephantsâ impossible. Mulder noticed her pale complexion and quick breathing and, knowing of her fear, put his hand, reassuringly, on her shoulder. She turned and smiled at him, thankful for the gesture. She didn't mention that having his hand on her shoulder only made her heart beat even faster

Dr. Anna Ramone sat at her desk in her quarters near the dig site. She missed her family and dreamed of being back at home for Christmas. She missed the traditions they had about Christmas morning and the thought of waking up to see the snow fall steadily past her bedroom window. At least there was snow here she mused. She was only truly happy about one thing. The recent discovery of an idol had given her confidence. She knew she was on her way to the top. If there was a magazine called Archeological Enquirer, she had no doubt that she'd be on the cover. Her dreams of a spot in National Geographic would soon be coming true. A reporter had called her from their branch in South Africa, wanting desperately to do an interview. She had obliged and the reporter had agreed to fly out. He was arriving on the first flight from Johannesburg, along with another surprise. When Anna had received the call from the FBI, she had panicked, assuming that the call was about the mysterious deaths of the five members of the entry team. All her nerves were calmed when they informed her that it was merely a phone call to make sure she was aware of the imminent arrival of agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scullyâ Dana Scully, a name she hadn't heard since high school. Memories of their years spent together were full of laughs and she was surprised to hear she was working for the FBI. A career in medicine had always been her dream. She also wondered about this mysterious agent, Fox Mulder. She knew one thing, he had cruel parents; anyone who would sentence their child to a life of being called Fox had to be cruel.

"Dr. Ramone?" a tall, well-built man with warm brown eyes and dark hair entered her tent.

"Yes Dr. Baschelli?" she replied, coming quickly out of deep thought.

"Please, call me Franco," he said, casually, "I just wanted to know if you thought an evening trip to the dig would be all right, I just wanted to get some more photos." Dr. Franco Baschelli was a professor of archaeology at work in Moshi in the neighboring country of Tanzania. Upon hearing of the idol's discovery he was eager to photograph it and its resting-place for the archives in Venice where he was head of antiquities. He was a sweet man, with an incredible sense of humour. He kept the entire team in stitches. It was a welcomed release after the death of five of the original workers who helped in the removal of the idol.

"Of course. That should be fine, you can go in with the night team, they go down to check on the dig, see if there are any treasure-seekers," she smiled a sweet smile at the tanned Italian.

"Excellent!" he said leaving, after a moment he popped his head in again, "Bongani said you were expecting visitors, anybody important that I should try to impress?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Maybe," she said smiling as well, "There's a reporter coming in from the National Geographic to do an article on the dig. I'm expecting two FBI agents as well."

"FBI? Anything serious?" his smiled changed to a frown of concern.

"Probably about the deaths of those poor workers, I'm not sure though, I was just informed of their arrival," she replied. "One of them is a friend of mine from high school, it'll be nice to see her again."

"Do you want me to be around when they arrive?" he was still concerned.

"It might be nice," she said, not believing that she was flirting with a guy who lived a couple of hundred miles away. He winked at her and ducked out again.

The flight to Johannesburg had been hell. The turbulence over the Atlantic had been heavy and Scully had spent most of her time hoping, yet again, for a quick death. Mulder had taken her hand in a particularly bad patch and she had calmed a bit. Only because she was no longer thinking of the plane at allâ When they arrived at Johannesburg International, she was glad to have her feet back on the ground. The ground hostesses were friendly and the atmosphere at the airport was relaxed and comfortable. As they entered the terminal building, Scully's heart sighed. Families greeted each other after long periods of being apart and once again, she thought of Christmas. She would be spending it working, in a country she had no idea about. She had only one consolation, Mulder would be there, right beside her.

After checking in at The Holiday Inn, a nearby hotel for passengers in transit, Mulder found himself wishing he hadn't dragged Scully along. It was Christmas, after all, and no doubt she would rather be elsewhere than in Africa. He sat staring at the television, he decided that, since she was already there, he would make it as bearable as possible. He looked at his watch, only seven thirtyâHe got up and knocked on the door to Scully's room. She answered it looking somewhat bored. She was almost surprised to see him.

"Mulder, what's up?" she asked, a little concerned.

"You wouldn't be interested in a little sight-seeing, would you?" She was a little suspicious and answered carefully,

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, I just thought it might be nice to get out of the hotel," he sounded innocent enough.

"Ok, sure. Just let me clean up and I'm all yours," she closed the door and Mulder went back to his room. Her last comment had made his heart jump. He didn't know why, he knew what she had meant, but it was nice to think of the alternative. He did some cleaning up of his own and went to inquire about where exactly one would go in a city like Johannesburg. Several things were suggested, a township Shebeen, apparently a traditional bar, very popular with touristsâ A couple of strip clubs were mentioned and it made Mulder wonder just what kind of hotel they had running here. He casually mentioned that he was bringing a lady friend along and the destinations stepped up a class or three. He thanked the desk clerk. There was a decision between an all night museum on the history of the Apartheid government and a romantic, little restaurant in a place known as Melrose Arch, a city within a city. The romance aside, Mulder decided on the latter, since their intention in leaving was to entertain themselves, not to fall asleep in a public place

The sun set very quickly as Dr. Baschelli and the night team trudged through the snow. They had been assured that it was a climatic problem that wasn't serious, but Dr. Baschelli had his doubts, knowing full well the story of "The Idol of the Leopard", as it had been named by the workers. The entrance to the cave was dark and the men had to light lanterns to see. All around lay equipment from the dig: shovels, brushes and rope, demarcating the area the site covered. As they entered the hollow where the idol was found, Baschelli began to snap photos. Some ceramic pots were being restored in one corner and other household items remained to be moved and sorted. Two men stood guard at the cave entrance, nobody was taking any chances when it came to the myth of the "Leopardmen". Lives had already been lost and the workers were anxious. As the other two men with him finished their search of the cave, Baschelli finished up his photo shoot. He was just picking up some of his equipment when a hysterical scream came from the mouth of the cave followed by gunfire. He looked to the other men and ran to the source. The guards were dead, ripped to shreds by what seemed to be an animal. Baschelli looked quickly around to see if the offending creature was still in view. He could see nothing in the darkness. He looked back towards the other two men, they were white with fear. That's when he noticed the words on the wall. Scrawled on the rock with the blood of the deceased, a menacing message greeted the light of his lantern, "Beware all who enter here. The wrath of Lekanzi is being unleashed on the desecraters of this place. She will surely come for those who enter here."

Scully sat, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure what to make of Mulder's sudden desire to see the city. At first she had been happy to go, but more and more she questioned her motives at saying, "Yes," to him. She was afraid of him, afraid of herself, actually. She had never been this way with him, before he had always been Mulder, her partner and friend. Now, he was something else to her, a dream, aâ she couldn't put her finger on it. She stared at her reflection and thought quietly to her self, _"You're lying to yourself, Dana. You know what it is, you're just too stubborn to admit it," _she looked away from the mirror, _"You know that you're in love with him, you're just too cowardly to confess it to him,"_ she got up and moved away from the mirror and her accusing reflection. She ran away from her own thoughts. She knew it was true, but she wouldn't allow herself to be won over by her weakness; she had told herself that he was off limits, a friend and someone she worked with.

When he went up to fetch Scully, Mulder felt himself getting nervous. Something he'd never felt around her. He knocked gently on her door, almost hoping she wouldn't hear him. She answered it, but there was something different about her, he could feel a hesitance,

"You ready?" he asked.

"I uhâ just" he stopped her.

"You all right?" he was concerned.

"Just tired, that's all, the flight took a lot out of me," she said finding her tongue.

"You want to stay here?" he asked, cursing himself for hoping.

"You don't mind?" she answered after a short while.

"No," she could see the disappointment in his eyes and she wanted, so badly, to take back what she had said, "not at all. You want to chill and do something here?" he asked, still hoping.

"I think I should just get some sleep, I'm a little apprehensive about tomorrow's flight," she hated her self for the half-truths, she felt false and cheap, she owed him more than this.

"Sure," he said, trying to be a sport about it. He turned to leave and go back to his room, pausing briefly as she shut the door behind him. He felt foolish over his nervousness, he knew now that what he had felt was an apprehension of falling for her. He knew that it was silly, because he was already in love with her and she had denied him

Scully stood for a moment behind the closed door and leant against it. She began to cry, feeling as if she'd betrayed his trust, and her soul. She had denied herself by lying to him, the very thing she had sworn never to do. She stifled a sob, with little luck.

Mulder heard her as he promised never to make himself vulnerable to her again. The promise was immediately irrelevant as he realized what she had tried to do. He was sorry for his childish anger and hurt. She had been brave at fighting something that should never be between partners and he had been weak in his hope that it would. He glanced once more at the closed door, before returning to his room.

Scully woke the next morning where she had collapsed into bed. She had a pounding headache as a result of crying herself to sleep. She couldn't explain how guilty she felt about the previous night. She should have told Mulder the truth, but it probably would have hurt him more. She quietly packed the little she had unpacked during their brief stay and thought only of what could have been. She knew she shouldn't, but she allowed herself to dream. She only hoped that he wasn't angry with her.

Mulder had found it difficult to sleep, he thought of his stupidity. He couldn't believe that he had been so selfish. He got up and took a shower, aware that the plane left in a couple of hours. He dressed in some comfortable jeans, a warm shirt and a sweater in preparation for the weather in Kenya. He went down stairs to wait for Scully, hoping that the episode the previous night hadn't injured their friendship.

When she did come down, she was frowning, obviously in thought. Mulder stood to greet her and tried to speak casually,

"Hey, you feeling better about today's flight?" _Wrong, shouldn't remind her of the conversation we had last night_

"Uh, yeah," she stopped; the awkwardness was unbearable.

"We should go," he said to kill the silence, "the plane is leaving soon." She made no reply and instead smiled slightly in agreement. She was kicking herself inside, we couldn't she just speak to him? There was one thing worse than being angry with one another, trying not to

The flight was shorter than the previous one, but the turbulence was worse. They had been fine on take-off, but as soon as they entered Kenyan air space, there was no peace. The change in weather was obviously having an effect on air traffic in and out of the country. Neither Scully nor Mulder said half a word to the other. Mulder kept himself busy thinking of the case. Scully wasn't worried about the turbulence at all, well the air turbulence. She kept thinking this was her fault, that he was angry with her. She tortured herself with the things she could have done instead of throwing him out. Near the end of the flight, Mulder decided that the awkward silence was madness, "Why are you so quiet?" Scully decided that now was the time to clear the air,

"I feel guilty about last night," she said.

"Forget it," he said, "it's not worth being like this over." She nodded.

"Friends?" he asked extending his hand.

"Friends," she said shaking it.

The trip to Nairobi was long, but with Dr. Baschelli around, none of the occupants in the car were bored. He kept them entertained with jokes, trying not to think of the events of the previous night. The writing on the wall had aroused his worst fears, the "Leopardmen" were after their quarry. Anna was also afraid of what the message had meant, but her fear was of a different kind. To her it meant that there were men who were doing the killing and her excavation team was the only group of people for miles from the site. The only other residents of the area were rare gazelles and other animals. She feared what these events would do to her trip on the train of success. Once in Nairobi, all were anxious about the arrival of the two agents, they were bound to suspect one of the team members.

The journalist was the first through the terminal gates, ready to do the interview immediately. Anna managed to persuade him to wait. The moment she saw Dana coming through the gates, she recognized her. She ran straight up to her and gave her a huge hug.

"Braceface?" she began," is that really you?" Scully smiled at the old nickname.

"I'm afraid so" she replied, "Wow, look at you! You're all grown up, doing what you always dreamed of. "

"Yeah," she looked over at Mulder who was hanging back, waiting to be introduced, she smiled a sweet smile and said, "You must be agent Mulder."

"Yes, Scully and I work together," he replied.

"Apparently, at the FBI?" she asked.

"Yeah," Scully ended their charming conversation.

"Hey, why don't you two come and meet some of my team," Anna said walking over to the little crowd gathered by the door.

"Braceface?" Mulder asked, smiling.

"Hey, at least it was only through high school, Spooky," she whispered before walking after her friend. Mulder followed, shaking his head.

Dr. Baschelli looked over to where Anna had run. He noticed a tall, dark haired man with soft eyes, sad. There was someone else, a woman: a charming redhead with a smile to dazzle the stars. Against his etiquette training, he stared at her. The way she spoke, with animation, yet, refined.

She was not what he had expected from a female agent. He expected someone harder, although he never doubted that she was strong when she needed to be. She dumbfounded him and he hadn't even uttered a word to her. Anna turned and moved back towards the group, he watched as the other woman muttered something to her partner, he smiled and shook his head. The two then followed Anna. As they arrived, introductions were made.

"Everyone, these are agents Mulder and Scully," Anna said, obviously excited about seeing her old friend, "Agents, this is everyone. This is Mr. Jack Joubert from National Geographic, he's doing an article on the expedition," a tallish man with glasses and a notebook smiled to them in greeting. "Bongani," she pointed to a small African man who bowed his head slightly in greeting, "Henry," another African man who smiled wide and bowed his head in a similar manner, "and this, is Dr. Franco Baschelli of Venice University." He smiled a charming smile and extended his hand in greeting. Scully took it and instead of the shake she had expected, he kissed her hand lightly. Mulder noticed with sudden interestâ so did Anna, "He's a real charmer," she added lightly.

The trip back to the dig was filled with stories from Scully's high school years. Everyone laughed heartily at the interesting tales, except Mulder, he was somewhat uneasy with Dr. Baschelli. He put it down to jealousy at first, but later he decided it had to be something else. Something about the apparently charming Italian was unsettling. The man glanced up at Mulder during the drive and they tried to size each other up, neither knew what the other was thinking, they just imagined. Suddenly, Anna interrupted the laughter and stated, "We have to make a quick stop at Magadi for some supplies."

"All right," said Scully, "but tell me, what exactly has been going on at that dig of yours?"

"I'm not sure," answered Anna, "there have been some pretty strange weather conditions," she pointed to the snow outside.

"There have also been some unexplained deaths," added Baschelli.

"You think they were anything more than animal attacks?" Scully asked. A quick glance passed between Anna and Baschelli and he continued,

"Well, there have been rumors about the myth of the idol," a glare in rearview mirror silenced him. Mulder wondered why they were so wary of them. What was such a secret that it couldn't be shared?

"What do you think Dr. Baschelli?" Scully asked a little too sweetly for Mulder's taste.

"Well, it's all just hearsay, really, nothing to be worried about, at least I don't think so," he replied.

"Well, we'll see," said Scully, glancing up at Mulder. He turned his head and sank further into his chair. She frowned, was he still angry, despite what he had said on the plane? When they arrived at Magadi, Anna and the two African men hopped out of the car to go and get the supplies. Dr. Baschelli went over to an antiques dealer and entered. The journalist who had said very little during the trip dared to speak when he was alone with the agents,

"I didn't know the FBI were on this," he spoke with a crisp British accent.

"This?" Mulder asked.

"This case, you know, Dr" he said no more as Anna returned with Bongani and Henry, each heavily laden with supplies. Mulder leaned back; he had a feeling as to which name came after the Drâ Scully looked at him via the rearview mirror. Both were wondering who this, supposedly South African, journalist was. They waited a while for Baschelli and when he got back into the car all were curious about his excursion. No questions were asked, they all simply continued their previous conversation about expedition. A particular vibe filled the car, everybody talked, but nobody actually said anything. There were secrets hiding in this camp and Mulder was determined to find out what they were. He would start with Dr. Baschelli.

**Author's Note: **The end of another chapter, is it mysterious enough? Please R&R and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three   
The camp was like a village by itself. Each person had his duties and if they all pulled their weight, the place ran like a well-oiled machine. There was plenty to suggest that the inhabitants of this village were nervous. There were guards posted at the entrance to the camp and, further up the mountain, you could see evidence of further development. Scully assumed this to be the actual dig site. Everybody was suspicious at the sight of strangers arriving; fearful glances were cast in the direction of the car. They stopped at the main tent and Anna got out and greeted the men in Swahili. She spoke a while, pointing to the two agents and the journalist. The man nodded and ran off to do something. They then drove to another part of the camp, a different atmosphere could be felt, less hostile. They all exited the vehicle, glad to be out of the stuffy space.   
  
Several tents stood in a circle, inside the perimeter fence. There was a sign in Swahili nearby, the English translation read: Avoid walking around this area after dark, unless accompanied by armed guard. Scully moved over to where Mulder stood, "Quite a welcoming, huh?" "I feel so safe," said Mulder sarcastically, looking at the flimsy barbed fences. "Ok," began Anna, "Your accommodation for the next few days has been arranged, agent Mulder, you'll have to share quarters with Mr. Joubert, I hope you don't mind." "Not at all," Mulder replied. "Dana, you'll be staying in Dr. Felix's old quarters," she added further, "Themba here will show you around and help you get settled in before dinner."   
  
Themba turned out to be an excellent host; he spoke fantastic English and knew everybody they passed on their tour. He showed them each to their new living spaces and made sure they were comfortable before going about his other duties. Dinner he informed them would be at six, while it was still light.   
  
Dr. Felix's quarters were comfortable. Although, Scully wondered what had happened to poor Dr. Felix if his room was available... Everything was neat and tidy and there was room for her to put her things. The person who had cleaned up the room had left behind a picture of the Dr.'s family. Scully picked it up; a Blonde face stared up at her, happy and sad at the same time. She held a small toddler who smiled a broadly, arms open wide to the person who held the camera. "Sad, isn't it?" Scully turned to see Baschelli at the door. "I was just wondering what happened to him," Scully said. "He disappeared about a week ago, no one has seen him," he took the picture from her and looked at it, "After the discovery of the other four team members, he was assumed to be dead. Beautiful family, such a pity." "Yes," agreed Scully. "Well, I just wanted to come by and see if you were settled." "Everything seems to be fine," she said, wondering if he'd paid the men a similar visit, or if he planned to. He intrigued her, always joking, but telling a different story with his eyes. He never seemed to speak his mind and yet, she knew exactly what he was trying to say. She looked at him and he met her gaze. She thought she could see his soul, peering back at her. It was as if he spoke to her without saying a word; she was too frightened to blink, in case she missed the message. The moment was broken as Mulder popped his head in. "Hey," he said, feeling as if he'd walked in something. Scully felt guilty, she had no idea why. She felt like a child that had been caught stealing cookies. A crimson flush rose to her cheeks. Mulder didn't miss it, there was a pause, "I guess I'll see you both at dinner," Baschelli took his leave, "Try not to be late: it's not good to be out after dark." He passed Mulder on his way out and each felt the heat of competition rising. Mulder turned to Scully, "You all right?" he asked. "Yeah," she turned to face him, "Why wouldn't I be?" "I don't know, you just..." he trailed off, "I spoke to the journalist." "Really, who is he?" she asked, just as eager to change the subject. "MI6," Mulder said casually. Scully was shocked, "What do they want with this case? Surely they're not here for the same reason as us." "I guess I asked too many questions, he wasn't willing to share any information," he paused, "Told me to get on with my investigation and he'd get on with his." "Hmmm," Scully replied, "friendly guy."   
  
Dinner consisted of traditional Kenyan food, a stew of gazelle meat, with some wild rice. Fruit was served as dessert: fresh paw-paw and guava, the last of the season before the snow. Scully sat down next to Mulder and began to talk about the camp and some of her initial ideas about the residents. Much to Mulder's dismay, Baschelli took a seat to her right. Seeing his discomfort, Anna requested that she be able to sit next to her friend. Unwillingly, Baschelli obliged. Mulder nodded to her in gratitude. The heavy atmosphere lifted and the conversation was light, Mulder relaxed knowing he had an ally in Anna, someone who obviously picked up the same things in Baschelli that he did. The early evening passed without incident, the case was put temporarily aside as everybody just tried to have a good time. Just after sunset, Scully inquired about the need to be indoors after dark "Never fear," Anna began, "we have an armed guard that will escort you back to you quarters. No need to be too paranoid." As if in defiance of her words, Bongani crashed in, he yelled something in Swahili, too scared to find his English tongue. Anna stood and answered him with panic. Neither Scully nor Mulder had any idea what was happening, but they were sure it had something to do with their case. "What is it?" Mulder asked. "Two of the members of the night team are dead, they were playing cards in the main tent and they were... attacked," she gave no further clue as to what it was that had killed them. Baschelli paled and rose from the table. Bongani signaled to Anna that she should follow him and she did, the rest of the dinner party in tow. When they arrived at the main tent crowds of workers swarmed around them. Anna cut a path through to the entrance. The light from inside illuminated her horror as she looked inside the tent. Scully and Mulder pushed up on either side of her. The two bodies were mangled. Scully turned to Bongani, "Translate for me," she said, trying to get over his shock. He nodded. She then turned and spoke to the crowd, "All right, everybody needs to calm down and get to a safe place. We don't know if the animal that killed these men is still in the camp, we need to take every precaution so that nobody else is injured." Bongani translated and everybody calmed, Scully thought she had succeeded, but nobody moved. They whispered among themselves and then a person at the back began to chant something, "Chui wanaume! Chui wanaume!" The momentum built up as the crowd caught on. "What are they saying?" Mulder asked Anna. She looked pale. "Leopardmen," she whispered. Scully looked at Mulder. Someone yelled over the chant, "The idol must be replaced!" Everybody turned to face the new voice. It was a small man, he had thick rimmed glasses and the appearance of a mouse. "Who's that?" Scully asked. "Dr. James Hilton," Anna replied calmly. "Who?" Mulder asked. "Dr. Hilton works in Magadi. He warned us not to chase after the idol, that we were committing suicide by removing it," Anna said bitterly. The man walked to the front and looked Anna in the eye. "I warned you," he said accusingly, "You wouldn't listen; how many men have to die before you will realize that the idol is possessed?" "Don't come with your hogwash here," she pointed to the two bodies, "this is the work of men, not some ancient deity." With that she walked away from him. He turned to the two agents, "You two must be the FBI agents Dr. Baschelli mentioned." So, that's what Baschelli was doing at the antique dealer... "Yes," answered Scully, "What's going on here?" "You've heard the myth of the Leopardmen?" they nodded, "Well, there you are, what more is there to explain." He said this and left the way he came. With his departure, the men started their chanting again, "Sanamu na rejeza! Sanamu na rejeza! Return the idol!"   
  
No one slept well that night: the killings were taking place inside the compound; no one felt safe. Mulder lay awake, thinking of the new Dr. on the block, what had been his reason in coming to the camp. How had he known that there would be a killing? Furthermore, he wondered about the disappearance of Dr. Baschelli after dinner. He hadn't seen him at the gathering by the main tent. It seemed odd that he'd disappear after such news, unless it wasn't news to him at all...   
  
Scully, too, lay awake, pondering the situation she now found herself in. She never knew what to make of any of it. The mysterious Dr. Hilton, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere with his mysterious message of doom, was he trying to scare them? She turned over and tried not to think anymore. Her mind drifted to Dr. Baschelli: where had he disappeared? She thought about the moment just before dinner. She had peered into the depths of his soul and seen something frightening, something oddly familiar, a dependence on something they obviously had in common. She drifted into a restless sleep.   
  
"They're gone!" yelled Anna crashing into Baschelli's tent. "Hmmm... What?" he asked, deeply involved in the work on his desk, "Who? Who's gone?" "Everyone!" she was slightly hysterical.  
"What are you talking about?" he was still confused. "The workers, Bongani, Henry, EVERYONE!" she collapsed into a heap of tears, crashing into his chair. He wasn't shocked. He sat down on his haunches and rested his hands on her shoulders, "Come now, relax," he said in a soothing voice, "They're afraid of what happened to those workers, they don't want to risk the same fate. They'll be back when they realize there's no real danger." "I'm ruined!" she yelled again, "Without workers, we'll never the job done in time!" "In time for what?" Baschelli was suddenly interested. "The...uh... enquiry," she said. "What enquiry?" he asked. "If this dig works out, I'm supposed to be promoted to Head of the Archaeology Faculty," she moaned, "Not a chance now!" 

"Ok, just calm down. Everything's going to be fine," he sounded reassuring.

"Knock, knock," came a friendly voice, "Am I too late for breakfast?" It was Bongani. Anna ran and hugged the man. "You stayed!" she shouted happily. "Me and Henry thought it best, a bunch of white guys out here in the middle of nowhere, we thought you could use the help," he smiled. "Oh, thank you!" her excitement obviously wasn't fading. "We went out to get some game. Anyone for breakfast?" he asked casually.   
  
Scully woke, with the sun poking in persistently. She yawned and looked at her watch, _seven thirty. _She shivered slightly from the cold. Something lay on the desk. She picked it up; it was a letter. She opened it, surprised. It read: _Agent Scully, don't follow the clues; follow what isn't being said. The mystery here delves deeper than any idols or myths. Be careful, there are many façades. _ She wondered where it had come from, and from whom it had come. She decided to keep it close by, at least she had someone who was making sure this investigation was successful, or was it a trick? She wasn't sure. She put something warm on and went out to see if Mulder was awake. He was indeed; he and the MI6 agent were talking in the sunlight. Mulder had a frown on his face. She joined the group and, seeing the concern, she asked, "Hey, what's going on?" "The workers have left," Mulder said, "They left last night. I guess they were unsettled by the murders." "You're so sure they were murders?" Scully said.  
"Can there be any doubt?" the Englishman asked.  
"Unless animals learned to write," Mulder added, pulling Scully towards the tent. On the canvass was a message, written in blood. "_Beware pale faced ones." _ "What does it mean?" she was unsure if it was a threat or a warning. "I don't know, but I bet it wasn't just friendly advice," he paused, "We have to get up to that cave." 

Scully nodded in agreement. Mulder turned to speak to the MI6 agent; he was gone. Mulder blinked, a little surprised. Scully, remembering the note, handed it to him to read.

"At least we have one friend on this battleground," he remarked, "It seems like everybody's got something to hide. Very strange," he added.

Breakfast was a silent affair; all were a little shocked by the evening's events. The disappearance of the workers and guards made everybody uneasy. Mulder mentioned that he would like to see the dig site. Anna paled.

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

"No, it's just that all the dead were..." she stopped, "They'd been inside the cave." She left everyone to guess what she meant.

"No problem," said Mulder, "We're armed."

The MI6 agent and Dr. Baschelli accompanied Mulder and Scully up the mountain. The walk was long and Baschelli kept them entertained with the history of the area. Mulder thought he might fall asleep on his feet. The MI6 agent took down notes as if preparing for his article. The snow made the hike difficult and all were exhausted by the time they reached the dig. The cave looked different in the light, less menacing. Before, Baschelli was sure he felt pure evil at its entrance. Now, there wasn't even a wisp of atmosphere in the air. The message from the night trip remained on the wall. It sent a chill down Scully's spine. It was like walking into a minefield with your eyes closed. The interior looked harmless enough, the previous day's work could be seen lying in piles on the cave floor. A slight dripping sound echoed through the cave. Dr. Baschelli led the group down a small shaft, Mulder, seeing another tunnel, went down it. He lost the group and continued down his own path. It led him to a small shaft; similar to the one Baschelli had gone down. At the bottom was what seemed to be a mine. Pick axes and other equipment could be found on the ground. There was a twinkling on the nearby wall. Mulder looked closer, they were diamonds, huge blocks of them lined the wall. He was confused; why was there no mention of a mine down here?

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Scully. She turned to make a comment to Mulder and realizing he was gone, called out,

"Hey! Where's Mulder?" she asked, slightly panicked. The other two turned and looked around, he was nowhere to be seen. They began calling out his name. No answer could be heard. They went back the way they'd come, still calling him. When he did appear at the mouth of another tunnel, Scully reprimanded him,

"What the hell was that, Mulder?" he stopped smiling, "You scared me half to death! You don't just disappear without telling people where you're going!"

"Yes mom," he answered. She bit her lip with frustration and slight anger, not saying anything.

"Let's get out of here," she began again, "this place is creeping me out."

When the group returned, they found Bongani, Henry and Anna, fetching everything they could use from the other tents. The workers had, very kindly, left some weapons and ammo for the group to defend themselves. Food was in good supply. They had, however, taken the truck.

This was obviously because they believed Anna was the one causing Lekanzi to be angry: she had, after all, been the one who had entered first. Bongani thought it best to make the perimeter as small as possible, that way, they could guard it more easily. After lunch, they all began moving the fence. It was hard work and free minutes were rare. Mulder found one and used it to inform Scully what he'd found,

"But, Mulder, why would there be a mine down there? It's an archaeological site," she argued.

"I think there's a different mystery here, Scully. I think that dig is to hide what they're really doing down there!" Up went the eyebrow.

"You know Mulder, usually I ignore your temporary moments of insanity, but this time you're just being paranoid," she paused, "Besides, what could they want with a diamond mine?" As she said it, she realized the absurdity of what she'd just said. What would anyone want out of a diamond mine? Money, of course.

"You've found the mine?" asked the MI6 agent. Both Scully and Mulder were startled by his presence.

"Where did you come from?" Mulder asked.

"I'm MI6, remember, I'm everywhere!" he smiled.

"Why don't you tell us your real name and a bit about what you're doing out here and we'll tell you what we've found," bargained Scully. The agent thought a while and then gave in.

"My name is Alfred Greenwood," he began, "I'm out here because someone in this camp is smuggling diamonds."

"Smuggling? Why doesn't this person just sell them?" asked Mulder.

"It isn't that easy," he sighed, "they're African conflict diamonds."

"You mean..." Scully began.

"Someone in this camp is selling these diamonds to Warlords all over Africa. They allow them to buy more weapons on the black market. Whoever is selling them is making a mint," he finished her thought.

"You think they're using the dig as a cover?" said Scully.

"No, this operation has been going on long before the dig began."  
"You think our diamond smugglers got worried that their mine would be discovered?" Mulder asked.

"I have no doubt," Greenwood answered.

"Is it possible that these men are doing the killing to scare off the diggers?" asked Scully, hoping to make this case less of an X-File.

"It's possible," said Greenwood, "However, that would require an inside man. Any ideas?"

"What about Baschelli?" Mulder was quick to mention his name, sure he was up to something.

"I saw him disappear after dinner the other night," Greenwood agreed.

"Hang on, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Scully didn't know why she was defending him. The evidence did point in his direction, "We have no concrete evidence: no reason to suspect him."

"True, but I say we keep an eye on him," added Greenwood. Anna paused as she walked past.

"Hey, you lot," she yelled jokingly, "No time to stand around; you think I'm not going to make you work for your dinner?" They all laughed, Scully shook her head at her friend.

Just before dusk the group returned to their quarters to get ready for dinner. Scully flopped into her chair; her cell-phone sat forlornly on her desk. She'd abandoned it there when she couldn't find signal. She decided to check again. If she could get a line out, maybe they could get a lift out of here when they needed one. She exited the tent and walked around in the traditional fashion of one searching desperately for signal: phone in the air, turning in circles, walking backward looking for the best place to receive microwaves. On her quest, she came along a hole in the fence. It was small: not big enough for an animal to fit through, but curious enough. She looked out past the fence. Tire tracks, faded but visible, were winding their way out into the bush in the opposite direction to Magadi or, indeed, any civilisation. She heard her name being called and decided to check out the mysterious hole after dinner. She came from the place behind an outer tent and found Mulder calling her name. She walked over to him,

"Where've you been, we all thought you were carried off by something," he joked.

"I'll tell you after dinner," she said simply.

Dinner was slightly less extravagant; rations were decided on since there was a limited food supply. Little was said, other than the odd joke about the silence. It was an interesting meal, since each of the agents was able to get a good look at each of the characters in this drama and decide which looked the guiltiest. Slightly biased, Mulder decided that it definitely had to be Baschelli; Greenwood made a similar deduction. Scully put her money on one of the African men: they had connections in this area and were the only ones who knew anything about the disappearance of the other workers. As darkness descended, the tension and atmosphere among the group grew. Nobody was quite sure of the others and poor Baschelli was on the end of a rather hostile glare from both male agents. Scully excused herself from the table and decided that she would like to have a look at that hole.

It was dark outside and the air was rich with foreboding. It was as if something descended on the place at night and it was almost like an unknown omnipresent being lurked nearby constantly. Not a sound could be heard, now that the workers were gone, an eerie silence unnerved all the guests. Scully found her way to the place she'd been before dinner. It was pitch black with all the lights blocked by the tent. _Perfect, _she thought. No one would be able to see the person who used this entrance. Or was it an exit? She put on her flashlight. Why would anyone want to get out at night? She thought that, perhaps, it was where the killers got in; it was too small though. Her thoughts were interrupted by the presence of someone behind her; she whirled around, pulling her gun. It was Baschelli. She lowered her weapon,

"You scared me," she said relieved.

"You shouldn't be out here," he stated, "After dark, it's a dangerous place to be: no one can see you from here."

She relaxed a bit then wondered out loud, "If it's not safe, why are you down here?"

He hesitated. "I... I followed you."

She should have been creeped out, but something about him calmed her, perhaps the very thing she'd seen in him the first day they'd met. She felt flattered. He smiled; not a menacing smile, but a shy smile. He took a step closer, Scully didn't move, she felt safe; it was an unexplained safety. Her instincts told her to be wary of him, but she ignored them against her better judgement.

"I must admit, I'm taken with you," he said softly, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear. She couldn't find an answer. "We're alike," he spoke with a tone that was hypnotic, "I sense something in you. We've both seen things, things we could never explain." How could he know that about her, was it what she herself had sensed, "we're too stubborn to admit it, so we cling to something tangible, something we understand," he read her like a book, it should have been unnerving, but instead, she felt drawn to him. He touched her cheek, "we're like teachers of a new religion, like..."

"Prophets of science," they finished the thought together. He smiled again and leant down to kiss her. She remembered Brother Andrew from the cult she and Mulder had investigated, she remembered his trick, instinct kicked in and she pushed Baschelli back,

"I'm a federal agent," she began, "As far as I'm concerned, you're under investigation." He stood back, looking shocked. She walked passed him in her retreat. She felt a jolt as he seized her arm,

"Don't be a fool," he said, "We're in the same boat, you and I." She jerked her arm free. She turned to walk away again. He pulled her back and slammed her against the canvass, covering her mouth. As shock subsided, fear gripped her. She could see the anger in his face. He stood over her. Then, something changed, she could see his face softening as he saw the terror in her eyes, he realized what he was doing and he immediately began to back off. It was too late: Mulder had seen him standing over her and had run to her aid. He grabbed Baschelli by the shoulders and pushed him to the ground. He still had a grip on Scully and she fell as well. Baschelli tried to get to his feet and apologize, but Mulder hit him hard in the jaw. Deciding it would be safer, he ran. Mulder's thoughts went straight to Scully,

"You ok?" he asked, helping her to her knees. She nodded, still shocked. She put her arms around him and cried. He held her; she was shaking violently. He glanced over to where Baschelli had disappeared.

Mulder helped Scully to her feet. They went over to the main tent where Anna had been with the others, they were still there, going over some sort of inventory. Mulder entered with Scully,

"Has anyone seen Baschelli?" he asked, trying to mask the anger in his voice.

"No," Anna replied with a cheery voice, "Not since dinner, why?"

"He just attacked Scully near the outer fence," Mulder said, his suspicion almost a reprimand to her happy mood.

"What?" she was shocked by his accusation.

"Lord knows what he was doing down there," Mulder added looking at Scully, asking the same question of her.

"He followed me," Scully answered, "There's a hole in the fence, I went to see what it was. He followed me down there."

"I don't know what to say; I can't believe it," Anna couldn't picture the soft professor attacking anyone, "Do you think it's him who's been killing my workers?"

"I don't know for sure, but I'd put money on it," Mulder replied.

"We can look for him in the morning," Anna pondered out loud, "When it's light."

**Author's Note: **Aha!So Baschelli isn't such a nice guy after all... I bet you didn't see that coming... Ok, I'm sure you did. If you want to find out if they find him or not, PLEASE REVIEW and tell me.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Baschelli ran with all he had in him. His feet pounding in front of him like bricks in the snow. A branch hit him in the face, slashing his cheek. Still, he ran. The night cried out to him, edging him on. He couldn't believe what he'd done. It was something he thought he'd sorted out. His temper had once been the source of much trouble for him, but that was all over now. He'd left Venice. He was a new man. The thought of the captivating agent Scully angered him. He'd seen the faces of fear, he had sworn never to invite them again. Anger had opened the door, he was weak and he cursed himself for it. He paused as he reached a safe distance from the camp. His breath was sharp and tore through his chest. It made a rasping sound. He walked on, trudging forward nearer and nearer to the dig site. He would hide there until morning. In the air something stirred, like a whisper of warning. He heard a rustle in the bushes. Nothing moved. He turned as the sound came from behind him. He could feel the piercing of eyes on his back. He ran, fearing what it was that hung back. He ran on through the bushes and into a hollow cave, it was dark. He found a corner and hid from his pursuer. There was no way it was agent Mulder, he couldn't have followed him all this time. He turned his head to see if the guilty party had entered. He could see the entrance to the hollow. The moon shone in. A shadow appeared. It was tall and hunched over. Its fingers were lone and bony, talons stretching out of the tips. He could hear it snarl. He held his breath, stepping back out of view. He stood on some gravel with a crunch. The creature turned at the sound. Baschelli froze. Its eyes were fiery, red with a sinister glint. They peered at him through the bitter darkness. He hoped he hadn't been seen. It moved carefully toward him. He turned to run, knowing he had been spotted. Another creature blocked his path. He stopped in his tracks as more surrounded him. Their upper bodies were human, their faces had an ebony shine. Their teeth protruded from their mouths, sharp, menacing. Their malevolent breathing accentuating their intent. The legs of a leopard kept the things hunched over, although they added lethal strength. Baschelli muttered his Catholic prayers, hoping to be saved. One of the creatures lunged forward; Baschelli's screams went unheard…

Scully stared into the distance, a mug of coffee in her hand. She watched the steam dance on the freezing air. Her blue eyes were glazed over in thought. Mulder stood back against the canvass of the main tent. He looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. She placed the mug on the table and put her head in her hands. What was it?

Scully couldn't believe she'd let herself down in such a way. Her weakness at such a frightfully important juncture in her life had frightened her. She hated that she had ignored her instinct and allowed herself to be manipulated. Once again, she had Mulder to thank for her well being. She owed him everything and had no way of repaying the debt. She felt like a failed student, _Trust no one…_Was that not the lesson Mulder had taught her a hundred times? As if in answer to her inward question, she felt his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him. He said nothing. Instead, he sat down on the bench next to her. The compassion in his eyes comforted her. She looked away, almost out of shame. He turned her face towards him. She felt his hand on her cheek, the same gesture Baschelli had made, but with different undertones. She felt reassured. She looked into his eyes and realized they had their own message. "I cant' believe I was so stupid," she began.

"I don't believe the word stupid fits into your vocabulary Dr Scully," Mulder tried to cheer her up, turning to his own coffee. She laughed a little, politeness more than actual amusement.

"I'm sorry, I'm not really in a laughing mood," she stated simply.

"Understandable, it hasn't been the greatest of nights," he smiled at her, a warming, comforting smile. The silence that followed was not the awkward pause that would usually pass between co-workers, but a pause full of unspoken messages; some of understanding, some of affection even some of forgiveness for the mistrust that had led to the unfortunate incident earlier in the evening. It was a sweet moment, one of many that accompanied the close connection they shared. It was a cherished ritual, a release from a world where paranoia and suspicion poisoned relationships acquired. The moment was completely shattered by the entrance of Anna.

"I have to say that this whole business baffles me completely." Scully turned to look at her friend, thanking her and cursing her at the same time. "I mean, what was he thinking?"

"I think Baschelli got angry," Mulder said. Scully was shocked. She had expected a more violent accusation.

"Angry? About what?" Anna asked, turning to Scully. She said nothing. Mulder spoke in her place,

"I think we all need to get some rest, we can discuss this in the morning."

"I agree," said Scully, finding her confidence once again. They both rose from the table and moved towards the door. Anna remained behind, apparently deep in thought. Mulder wondered what had happened to Greenwood, a concern that soon faded to be replaced by his concern for his partner.

"I don't know what they know!" Greenwood said into his communication device, "I think I've put them off track. I'm trying to put the emphasis on something else, I just hope they don't realise I'm not as stupid as I'm trying to be." He paused while his superior spoke. He'd been placed on this unfortunate assignment because he'd pissed someone off in the chain of command. He knew he was on a reconciliation mission. He was being punished. Being in this God forsaken place for Christmas was bad enough, but the arrival of the two agents was a real nightmare. He'd hoped that by setting them on the diamond mine trail he'd be able to salvage this already hopeless situation. "Yes sir, I understand."

He broke contact and returned once more to the tent where the others were. On his way he noticed the two agents leaving. He didn't move, ducking momentarily and hoping that they hadn't spotted him. He returned once more to the tent he shared with agent Mulder. Quite an experience for him since agent Mulder was somewhat a legend to Greenwood. It was a rare luxury for a man like him to come face to face with the enemy.

As the morning sun came streaming in, Scully lay quietly; staring at a note Mulder had left her. She'd been awake for a while, just tracing his handwriting with her eyes. The beautiful way his touch formed the letters of her name made her feel special. He'd left his jacket on the chair by her desk and the note accompanied it. The paper flapped slightly in the breeze, allowing a glimpse of the message inside. Scully sighed and stretched a little, preparing herself to get out of bed. She changed her mind, however, as she had done many times that morning. Turning over and lying on her back, she thought about the strange disappearance of the baffling Dr. Baschelli. Where could he possibly have gone? It had been dark when he'd fled. He wouldn't have dared venture out of the camp, not after the untimely deaths of his companions. The attempted focus dissipated when Scully thought, once more, of Mulder's rescue mission. She blushed slightly when she thought of his fussing over her after they'd left Anna, a rare thing for her. She'd begged him to stay with her until she fell asleep. He'd obliged not too unwillingly she thought. They'd chatted a little while and then, she couldn't remember. She'd probably fallen asleep. Anyway, all she knew was that there was a note with her name on it and if she didn't read it now, she would die of anticipation. She rose and gently picked up the piece of paper. Her heart skipped a beat. The note read:

Dear Scully,

Last night was amazing… You were incredible.

Fox.

P.S. Look in my coat.

She immediately began searching through Mulder's coat, hoping to find out more about the event he was referring to. His right pocket contained another note:

Ha ha, just kidding! Had you going there for a moment. You were on your best behaviour: THAT I can guarantee. Hope you slept well, see you in the morning.

Me.

Trying to still her beating heart, Scully uttered a sigh of relief. She shook her head, rubbed her eyes gently, and readied herself to emerge form the tent.

Mulder thought quietly to himself about the notes he'd left Scully. He smiled and tried to imagine her reaction. He didn't feel like moving from his comfortable spot on his bunk, so he didn't. His mind wandered back to the night before. Scully had asked him to stay until she fell asleep. He'd gladly obliged, happy to spend any time with her. They'd chatted a while, like the night in Oregon on that first case. It was all very nostalgic and Mulder was almost sorry when she'd drifted off to sleep. He sat for a while, just existing in her presence. He looked up at her. A strand of hair moved back and forth as she breathed. He wanted to take her in his arms and just hold her close. He wanted to protect her from that evil, big, wide world. The anger that had taken over him when he'd seen Baschelli standing over her still shocked him. He'd felt strength come form his weary self and a blind, mad rage had driven him on. He had come to realise that it was for only one reason that he had behaved the way he had. The reason that one finds so difficult to express. The reason that would haunt him until he could find the courage to tell her that he was, in fact, violently and undeniably in love with her. From the moment she'd walked into his pitiful little existence in that dark basement office. He'd lifted his head, determined to be difficult. When he'd seen those eager eyes, hidden under her glasses, he'd almost stopped breathing. He was forever indebted to those glasses. For, if they had not been present, he surely would never have been able to keep up his façade of cool and uninhibited contempt. Her sweet smile, trying to make a good impression. It held an elegance and refinement that blew him away. He could see that, despite the sweetness of her appearance, she had a tenacity and spirit radiating from her. He could hear her soft breathing in his mind. As he'd prepared to leave, after writing the notes, he'd gently pressed a kiss on her forehead. Dizzied by his longing for her, he quickly stood back. He steadied himself and quickly left, cursing himself for getting too close. That moment would remain his forever, he would keep it close to himself as if it were the person herself. At that very moment, the person entered, leaning gently against the canvass. She smiled a scolding smile at him, shaking her head gently. He smiled an elfish smile back.

"I got your note," she began. He smiled once again. "Where's your friend?" she asked, pointing over to the other bunk.

"Not sure," Mulder answered, standing up, "he was gone when I got here." There was a pause. Scully looked around the room. Mulder looked straight at her. She felt him looking at her and blushed slightly,

"I want to thank you for staying with me last night," she said finally.

"No Problem!" said Mulder getting up from his bunk, "We had better go, they'll be looking for us." Scully nodded and followed him out.

Anna had been pacing her room all morning. She worried about Baschelli, where had he disappeared? She was anxious to look for him. The death of a professor was all she needed to get the publicity she **didn't **need. Especially if she wanted that promotion. She would have gone to look for him earlier, but she didn't want to risk going out alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hello all, I'm back! Here's the next chapter...

The search for Baschelli was long and arduous. Hiking up the mountain in waist-deep snow was bad enough, but there was a distinct heaviness to the world that day. The very air hung thick and breathing was an effort. There was not a bird in sight, the sky was an unusual grey and the snow persisted. Silence was kept because speaking was a crime against their already tired lungs. The inability to call out for Baschelli made the search even more impossible. Anna wouldn't give up, however, and the sun was low in the sky before the party returned to camp. Greenwood quickly departed from the group and went off by himself to the tent. The others returned to the main tent in a new search, the search for food and warm coffee. Their voices returned to them as they relaxed and ate. Mulder suggested that they continue their search on the East side of the mountain, suggesting that Baschelli may have gone to the dig in hopes of finding shelter for the night. All agreed and it was decided that they would continue at first light.

Everyone settled for an early night, but none slept. It was too haunting to think what was happening. Anna struggled with her conscience. Was she looking for the right reasons? She wanted to find Baschelli, but for her own personal gain. He was of no value to her other that the fact that, if he was not found, her reputation would be destroyed. She rolled over in her bunk, angry at her thoughts. She had become a half-human being, fighting for little more than greatness: a trait that was not endearing to her at all.

Scully lay awake wondering about the case she had landed herself with. What was behind all these mysterious killings? Surely no animal could be this determined to wipe out such specific members of this team. Could it be that she had, once again, stumbled onto a legitimate X-File while hoping to prove Mulder incorrect? She feared that that might be the case.

Mulder would not allow sleep to follow him that night. His thoughts dwelled on something far more serious to him than any X-File; something more serious than any idol or archeologist. He was doing battle with his own emotions. Scully had filled his senses in a way she had never done before. His every hope and dream now rested with her and he couldn't allow it. After all, she had so bravely defeated her own interest in him. She had shown that she had no interest in their relationship on that failed night that still stung him when he was vulnerable. She should have been right, because that was the way things were supposed to be in the real world, but Mulder couldn't help but think that she was wrong. He needed her if he was to survive and it wasn't a matter of partners following all the right rules, it was a matter of souls denying what was rightfully theirs.

The search continued in the early morning. The team battled with the suffocating cold. There was silence as they ascended the East Side of the mountain. The snow seemed thicker than it had been in a while and safe walking was the only focus of the team's minds. Their search went on without incident. It was painfully slow and it became clear that the once easy trek to the dig would now be infinitely more difficult to fit into one day. Nothing seemed to be stirring in the cold. All life seemed to have been brutally silenced. It was then that the team encountered an unusual work of nature.

It was about midday as they rounded a particularly steep bend in the mountainside. The wind picked up with an almighty force. It swirled around them and they each scrambled for a piece of rock on which to cling. They could hear voices in the wind, agonized screams for assistance. They seemed to seep in through each person's ears and echo within their skulls. Then, just as suddenly as the wind had struck up, it vanished. Leaving the thin stretch of mountainside where the team stood bewildered, absolutely silent.

No one spoke. It was too unnatural. Scully tried to reason out what she'd just heard, putting it down to odd weather and a frightened imagination. Mulder, who stood behind her, was now fully convinced that this was the work of some created deity. The others stood transfixed. Their minds seemed to urge them to leave, but all where too afraid to move: much too afraid to lift even a foot from the ground. Mulder was the first to do anything. "Well, that was a little on the strange side," the tension broke and the team relaxed slightly, ready to leave the unlikely event behind.

Mulder took a step to get the team moving, a bad judgement call as far as what happened shortly after was concerned. The snow gave way beneath him, dropping a huge height to the rocks below. Scully was quick as she dropped down and grabbed hold of his arm before he could slip away after the icy ledge. She gripped his arm with fearful force and he looked up at her with shock cascading over his face. She tried to pull him to her, but he proved too heavy and the strength in her arms was limited to simply preventing his fall. "You all have to get off that ledge," said Mulder suddenly. Scully looked at him, confused. "It's not rock," he said simply, "It's ice." From his position beneath the ledge, Mulder had a view that none of the others could argue with. "It's going to break, if you don't get off now." His voice was remarkably calm. Scully looked down at him with disbelief in her eyes.

"I can't lift you by myself," she said quietly. He looked up at her and she knew what he wanted her to do. Horrified, she tightened her grip on his arm in defiance.

"You have to Scully, I won't let you come after me," his voice was soft and sure. Scully was about to answer back, but the ledge began to give way. Mulder's gloved hand slipped a little. She could feel that she would not be able to hold him. She wanted to tell him so much, but couldn't find her tongue. Before she could make any further decisions, Mulder let go of her hand and, unable to hold on, her grip failed. She fell back against the mountainside, unwilling to see where he'd fallen. She was in shock. She seemed to have lost control of herself.

Her mind didn't seem to be functioning and her body had no desire to do anything to pull itself to safety. Once she had no further concern for herself, she sobbed in agony. The others made no move to go near her in her grief even though they knew something must be done. After a second or so, Anna decided to do something. She moved over to her friend and tried to hold her. Scully pushed her away, it was pain to have someone even try and touch her. As if any mortal comfort could save her from the unquenchable agony that spread over her. "We've got to get away from this ledge Dana, it's going to collapse."

"Then let it," said Scully, defiance shunting aside her tears for a moment. Anna looked at her in horror. She was then resolute. She ignored her friend's indignant cries and grabbed her arm. She pulled her from the ledge against her will, it slowly collapsing behind them. Once they'd reached the relative safety of the other side of the bend, Anna let her go. Scully screamed at her in anger, she had so wanted to follow that ledge to the bottom.

**A/N:** I'm sorry, I had to do it, it seemed so perfect…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

Scully's ranting was overpowered when Bongani yelled something. She turned on him, unwilling to hear anything anyone had to say, but quickly changed her mind when she saw what he was showing. The collapse of the ledge had resulted in a steep and slippery slope that moved down the mountainside below. Her heart leaped as she realised what this might mean.

Hope immerged as Scully realised what had happened. The ledge had jutted out farther than the piece below it. She could now see this as the ledge had created a slope where it had collapsed onto the outcrop of rock below. Her tears vanished as determination took their place and she moved her way slowly as she could, down the slippery slope. She had to believe he'd survived the fall. The height was a little over eight feet now and it was entirely possible he'd survived it. He may have sustained injuries, but she made herself sure he was still alive.

The snow was deep and Scully had difficulty seeing where Mulder had fallen. She seemed to be on some sort of outcropping, on the side of the steep mountainside. She looked around and yelled out in desperation, "Mulder!" Her lungs seared at the effort. "Mulder!" she screamed again, there was no reply. Her panic began to grow out of control. She couldn't have lost him, she couldn't have. She wouldn't give him up. She would die first. She would have run had the snow not been holding her back with a vengeance that confused her. Could nature hold any kind of vendetta? For it felt as if its only joy was keeping her from him. "Mulder!" she yelled out with growing desperation, tears pricked the backs of her eyes, "Come on, where _are_ you?" He had to have survived. There was no other answer, that was all there was too it. That was all! If she found his cold and lifeless now, she knew she would die from the loss.

"Mulder!" she yelled, once more, her lungs still protesting. Then, she saw him, lying on his back, he had created a depression in the snow and it was difficult to see him from far off. Scully made an attempt to run to him, but the snow was still determined to hold her back.

It seemed a lifetime before she came to his side. Collapsing in the snow beside him, she began to cry again. He didn't seem to be moving. "Come one," she said, her voice cracking again. She felt for a pulse, his skin was cold and clammy. She had felt death before and this was much too close to it for her own liking. She leaned over him, trying to hear any issue of air from his lips. They were cold. She fought back her tears, thinking hard what she should do.

Then, her heart leapt. Had she just felt what she thought she just felt? It was faint, but his chest had just risen. She pulled back from him, pulling his wrist to her and feeling again for a pulse. Faintly, but defiantly, she felt a very slight throbbing in his wrist.

Just then, he spoke. His voice seemed far to secure for one who had just fallen off a mountain ledge. "Scully…" he said gently, opening his eyes and giving her a weak smile. She was overcome with relief and, before she knew what she was doing, leant down and kissed him. The world seemed to cease for a moment as they met. Pulling away, she looked at him, passion burning in her eyes. It was outdone only by sheer joy. "Thank God you're alright," she said, trying to assess his injuries. His neck appeared fine, as did his back, the only injury he seemed to have sustained was a bruised left ankle, which, quite frankly, was a miracle after the fall he had just sustained. They would need to get him back to camp before they could determine if he had sustained any internal injuries, so she began to think how she could contact the others above.

Grabbing her gun, she was about to fire a shot, realising how unstable the snow around might be, she decided against it. Holstering her weapon, she moved back to where Mulder was now sitting up; wincing as other bruised areas of his body moaned. She tried to think how they could get back up to the others.

"Can you walk?" she asked Mulder, thinking to climb back up the slope themselves. It had struck her that this detour would cost them another day of searching for Baschelli. It was already getting later and they had to turn back soon if they wanted to reach the camp before nightfall.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he said, standing up. He put his arm round her shoulder for support and they slowly moved toward the slope. Taking one step at a time, the climb was snails pace. The newly fallen snow made it almost impossible to navigate without slipping and when they finally reached the top, both collapsed with exhaustion. Anna ran forward, obviously bewildered that they were both alive.

The others helped to lift both to their feet and Bongani and Henry showed them an alternative route back towards the campsite. The search was abandoned in all minds for the moment, as they all thought simply of getting home before dark.

They managed it only by about twenty minutes. None said anything as they all went and found a separate place to collapse. Scully insisted that Mulder lie down, saying she wanted to guarantee his injuries were limited to mere bruises. Greenwood disappeared, not to anyone's surprise. Anna, Bongani and Henry made for the main tent in order to prepare some kind of meal. Food would be essential in keeping the team alive until they could find help.

Mulder collapsed onto Scully's bunk, kicking his boots off. His body ached all over and he felt weak. His ankle was stiff from the cold and he was grateful to be off his feet. Scully lit a lamp as a heavy darkness had descended on the camp. It was almost tangible and had settled like ink. The lamp didn't provide much light, but it was enough to keep the blackness at bay.

Moving to Mulder's side, she pulled up a chair and collapsed into it. She was drained emotionally and sighed to release some of the tension that had built up inside her. Her thoughts turned back to Mulder, she was still concerned about his condition. She turned to look at him. He seemed to be asleep, his eyes closed. She smiled at him, remembering the kiss. The thrill of having her lips pressed to his. She was filled with an uncontrollable affection. She could no longer keep it back in accordance with her common sense. She was hopelessly in love with him and any thought of being parted from him was treason to her soul.

Mulder opened his eyes and looked at Scully, he saw something in her eyes and his heart dared to hope. He saw adoration and sincerely hoped he wasn't dreaming. His shoulder ached as he lifted his hand gently to her face. Stroking the soft skin on her cheek, he spoke, "What happened today?" he asked, so quietly, it was amazing she even heard him.

Covering his hand with her own, Scully spoke back, "I thought I'd lost you," an unmistakable pain flashed across her eyes. She pulled his hand from her face, their fingers intertwined. She kissed his hand softly then continued her concerned gaze.

"I'm fine," he said, reading her thoughts. She raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing across her lips, "Really!" He added, trying to relieve her concern. She gave a small laugh to show his humour hadn't gone to waste, but returned to her sombre mood shortly after. "So, what happens now?" he asked innocently, "We can forget his ever happened and go back to what we had or…" she stopped him.

"Don't talk about it," she said, "It's not a casual decision and talking about it seems to cheapen it a little," not even she understood what she was saying, but Mulder obliged, saying nothing further. At that, both seemed resolute. Leaving her chair, Scully sank down to kneel beside him. She rested her head on his chest and said nothing. This was more than Mulder could bear. He sat up slightly, lying on his side. She lifted her head and looked at him.

"Don't do this, Dana," she was taken aback a little by his use of her name. He'd always called her Scully and this sudden change made the room drain of air. "Don't put me through this," he began again, "we've fought this for so long, don't' make me try and do it again with you so close." She didn't know what to do, she was half-angry that he was seemingly trying to make her feel guilty, but knew it was true and so, she couldn't maintain any anger toward him.

"We shouldn't" she said after a pause, "it's…" she couldn't find the correct ending to the sentence. It was wrong in certain aspects, but so profoundly right in others. She was saved speaking further as Mulder took the situation upon himself and kissed her. The uncertainty she had felt before vanished as they descended into a timeless space once more. All that existed in the world was her sudden need to be with him. Her survival depended on being his and she surrendered to what suddenly seemed inevitable. She smelled the sweetness of him and felt the searing passion flare up inside her. Overcoming the initial shock of what was happening, she put her arms around his neck, pulling him to her in an almost animal desperation to have him, somehow, nearer to her.

Breaking away from her, Mulder was surprised at himself. He did not know what it was that had caused him to take the sudden step, but knew that the moment was perfect. His heart had risen to his throat as she pulled him towards her. He could feel her want and knew that their desires were the same. Summoning some unknown strength within him, he pulled her from the ground, so that she was seated next to him on the bunk. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he took hold of her again, hungry for her kisses.

Scully had no idea where he'd found his sudden energy, but she was surprised, to say the least, at the strength behind him. She felt suddenly interested in a side of him she had never seen. He had always been so soft and understanding, but now she saw the daring, powerful side of him. He had perfect control of the situation and yet, none at all. She felt undeniably safe with him and, in her willing submission, felt entirely and unmistakably feminine.

He refused to let her be any further from him than allowed her space to breathe. His kisses found their way to her neck and he savored the taste of her soft skin. His body protested this sudden activity with dull aches, but Mulder ignored them. He lay back, pulling her with him. She put her hands on either side of him to support herself, carefully trying not to hurt him. He paused impatiently, helping her remove her jacket, then pulling off his own spencer. She bent forward, settling her own line of kisses down his neck. He turned over, pulling her down onto the bunk beside him, now supporting himself. He stopped. Looking down at her, he took stock of the moment. It was so divinely perfect. Her auburn hair was fanned out across her pillow and she studied him in a similar way. There was a heavy pause. As the air seemed filled with the anticipation that plagued them both, they halted for a moment. Then, Mulder lowering himself to her, they both surrendered themselves to the inevitable and indulged the other in a fantasy that had long been stale in their souls.


End file.
